Power shovel



Dec. 13, 1938. c. E. STIEHL 2,140,460

POWER SHOVEL Filed Sept. 18, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet l mvsmox ATTORNEYS 'Dc. 13, 1938. c, E, s 2,140,460

POWER SHOVEL I Filed Se t. 18, 19:57 a Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY-9..

' I C. E. STIEHL POWER SHOVEL Filed Sept. 18," 1937' a Sheets-Sheet s ATTORNEYS.

' Patented Dem 13, 1938 Carl E. Stiehl, South Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to Bucyrus-Erie Company, South Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Delaware Application September 18,1937, Serial No. 164,454

a Claimsi My invention relates to new and useful improvements in power shovels, and more particularly power shovels of the type having a boom and an outward digging dipper mounted on the end of a handle, which handle is reciprocable with respect to a point on the boom known as the shipper shaft, the dipper being movable in a circular are about this point as a center.

The saddle block is that portion of the assembly which holds the dipper handle to the shipper shaft, and through which the dipper handle reciprocates. The dipper in digging encounters two sorts of stresses which have thus far presented almost insuperable problems in shovel design. The first of these is an uneven downward pressure of the bank upon the two front corners of the dipper. The second of these is a sideward push upon the dipper; this latter occurs not only during dig- 90 ging, but also during acceleration and deceleration of the swinging cycle; this sideward push will be referred to as side-thrust". I If the handle be built narrow, to pass through a divided boom, 9. side thrust on the dipper is apt to tear the boom apart. If, on the other hand,

the handle be built in two parts, straddling the boom, its side thrusts and twists would impart a twist to the boom. To meet these objections,

various expedients have been adopted in the past, such as building the boom with a spring foot,

and/or widely supporting the boom at its outer point and at the ,shipper shaft, either with or without some interlock between these two support means. But none of these expedients has been wholly satisfactory.-

, Accordingly it is the principal object of my present invention to provide a novel form of construction of the front and equipment of apower shovel, so that the digging strains will be trans- 0 mitted to those parts of the machine best able to stand them, and be resisted at such points.

A further object of my present invention is to provide a dipper handle and a resilient saddle block mounting therefor, so contrived and designed as to form one of the elements of my main combination.

In addition to this principal object, I have worked out a number of novel'and useful details,

which will-become readily evident as the description progresses.

My invention is designed to combine all of the advantages with none of the disadvantages of the expedients of the prior art.

To accomplish this end, I combine four features, namely: (1) a freely swivelable dipper- A REISSUED MAR 1 9 1940 handle; (2) a sidewardly resilient saddle-block, within which the handle swivels and reciprocates; (3) rope thrusting means; and (4) the twin hoist ropes.

These four features cooperate as follows. The swiveling of the dipper-handle and the resilience 5 of the saddle block relieve the boom of twisting strains at the shipper-shaft. The resilience of the saddle-block. moreover, tends to restore the handle to the plane of the boom. The rope thrust eliminates uneven presentation of the handle to its crowding means, which uneven presentation would otherwise largely offset the advantages gained by the just-mentioned flexibility. And the twin hoist-ropes serve to steady the handle 15 I against twisting, and yet do not impart any twisting strain to the boom.

A fairly satisfactory subcombination would consist in items 1, 3 and 4, with item 2 as a very desirable addition.

Another fairly satisfactory sub-combination would consist initems 1, 2 and 4, with item 3 as a very desirable addition.

Also I wish to claim specifically the details of item 2.

My invention consists in the novel parts, and in the combinations and arrangements thereof, which are defined in the'appended' claims, and of which one embodiment is exemplified in the .accompanying drawings, which are hereinafter particularly described and explained.

Throughout the description, the same reference number is applied to the same memberor to similar members.

- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a power shovel a embodying my invention.

FigureZ is a plan view of the boom, handle and ropes of my invention, taken along the line 2-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view, partly in section, of the 40 saddle block and part of the boom and handle of Figures 1 and 2, taken along the line 33 of Figure 4.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of these parts, taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 3. 5

Figure 5 is an end view of these parts, partly in section. taken along the line 55 of Figure 4,

Figure 6 corresponds somewhat to Figure '3, except that the handle is not in section in Figure 6. It is taken along the lines 6 -6 of Fig- 50 ure 7, and shows the parts during side thrust.

Figure 7 corresponds to'Figure 4. It is taken along the line '|-l of Figure 6,. and shows the parts during side thrust.

Referring to Figure 1, it will be seen that ii is u the propelling base of a power shovel, on which is mounted the revolving frame |2.' This latter carries a boom hoist winch i3, a dipper hoist winch I4, and a dipper thrusting winch l5.

Winch l3 manipulates the widely spaced boom suspension cables I 6. Winch i4 manipulates twin hoist ropes i'l. Each of these ropes passes over one of four boom point sheaves I8, around one of a pair of widely spaced sheaves attached to the dipper l9, and back over one (preferably-another) of the sheaves iii to the winch. This doubles and equalizes each rope.

The dipper l9 is-carried on the outer end of a tubular handle 20, which slides in the saddle block, to be hereinafter described, mounted on the boom 2|. Winch l manipulates thrust rope 22, attached to the rear end of handle 20, and retracting rope 23, attached to the front end of handle 20. 5

As already stated, the use of this means of thrusting and retracting permits the handle to swivel in the saddle block, without introducing any problems of proper interaction of the thrust- .ing parts on the boom with the thrusted parts on the handle.

Turning now to Figures 3 to 5, we see that the above-mentioned saddle block consists of a 1101- low member 24, of rectangular crossesection, the bottom of which is appropriately slotted to receive roller 25, which revolves about shipper shaft 26. The top and bottom of member 24 each terminates in two headed yokes 21, making four such yokes in all. The sides of member 24 depend to form bearings 28, to support the member on the shipper shaft 26.

The shipper shaft 26 is in turn supported from boom 2| by brackets 29. Each pair of yokes 21 supports, by means of bolts 30 and springs 3|, two curved pieces 32, each of which carries a bearing plate 33, to bear against the sides of the handle 20. I

Ropes 22 and 23 pass over sheaves 34, carriedby the shipper shaft 26.

Turning now to Figures Band 7, we see ho when a side thrust is imparted to the dipper, and thereby the handle 26 is thrown sidewardly, the resiliency of the saddle block permits this movement, without imparting undue strains to the saddle block assembly, and thence to the boom.

. Of course it is to be understood that, from the viewpoint of my broad general combination, other forms of resilient saddle block might be used, and even a non-cylindrical handle, provided that it is permitted in some way to swivel, as by having it reciprocate in a cylindrical guide member within acterized by the further fact that the handle is cylindrical.

a saddle block similar to that described above.

Any twist on the handle 20, imparted by an uneven pressure on one or. the other front corner of the dipper, is, due to the cylindricality'of the handle 20, bornesolely by the widely spaced twin hoist -ropes Having now described and illustrated one form of my invention, I wish it to be understood that my invention is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement of parts herelnbefore described, except in so far as such limitations are specified in theap'pended claims. I This application is a continuation-in-part, as to all common subject-matter, of my copending application, Serial No. 78,670, filed May 8, 1936, for improvements in power shovels, which application now stands allowed under "date of May 21,

1937, and-which will now be permitted to lapse without prejudice, in view of its supersession by this present application. I

I claim:

1. In a power shovel, the combination of: a base; a boom, inclined forwardly therefrom; a hoist winch on the base; a thrust winch on the base; a handle, mounted on the boom for reciprocation, and for angular movement in a vertical plane about a fixed point on the boom; a digging dipper carried at the outer end of the handle; means supporting the handle at the above-mentioned point for free turning about the handle axis, while resiliently resisting sidethrust; rope means, actuated by the thrust winch and directly applied to the handle, for reciprocating the handle; twin sheaves, lateraily widely spaced at the outer end of the boom; and twin hoist-ropes, supporting the dipper at laterally movement in a vertical plane about a fixed point on the boom; a digging dipper carried at the outer end of the handle; meanssupporting the handle at the fixed point for free turning about the handle axis, while resiliently resisting side thrust; twin sheaves, laterally widely spaced at the outer end of the boom; and twin hoist-ropes, supporting the dipper at laterally widely spaced points, and thence passing over the twin sheaves to the hoist winch.

4. A power shovel, according to claim 3, characterized by the further fact that the handle is cylindrical.

5. In a power shovel, the combination of: a base; a boom, inclined iorwardlyv therefrom; ahoist winch on'the base; a thrust winch on the base; a handle, mounted on the boom for reciprocation, and for angular movement in a verticalplane about a fixed point on the boom; a digging dipper carriedat the outer end of the handle; means supporting the handle at the above-mentioned point for free turning about the handle axis; rope means, actuated by the thrust winch and directly applied to the handle, for reciprocating the handle; twin sheaves, laterally widely spaced at the outer end of the boom; and twin hoist-ropes, supporting the dip- I per at laterally widely spaced points, and thence passing over the twin sheaves to the hoist winch.- I

6. A power shovel, according to claim 5, charcylindrical handle, mounted on the boom for reciprocation, and for angular movement in a vertical plane about a fixed point on the boom;

a digging dipper carried on the outer end of the handle; and a saddle-block assembly, supporting the handle at the above-mentioned point, and made up of the following parts: a shipper shaft, carried by the boom; a handle-supporting roller, journaled on the shipper shaft; a hollow saddle block member, materially larger in cross-section than the cross-section of the handle; a pair of curved handle guides, laterally spaced at each end of the hollow member; and laterally yieldable resilient means whereby the member sup-' ports these guides.

8; In a power shovel, the combination of: a

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